8 Ways to “Spring Clean” Your Business

Spring is just around the corner and with it comes all the fresh feelings: fresh flowers, fresh linens, fresh air.

But as we spring clean our garages, our homes, and our garden beds, there’s one more thing I know many of you are itching to spring clean: your business.

I want you to feel that fresh spring feeling in your business, too, because that’s what helps you reset, recommit, and really get that momentum flowing.

If you’re feeling like you’ve been in business hibernation mode for the last few months, I’ve got some tips for you! Below, I’ll be sharing steps I personally take so you can use them to spring clean your business.

 

1. Clean up your social media 

Our social media accounts can be cluttered… and we don’t even realize it until we start cleaning them up. We follow a ton of people we don’t remember or engage with anymore, have old message threads just hanging in our inboxes, and we haven’t checked our bios in months.

Sound about right? Well, it’s time to change that, sister!

Look through your follows, your messages, and your own profiles and delete what you don’t need anymore!

This is also a good time to look through your feed and see if it’s still on-brand and reflecting what you want to share. While you don’t need to go on a crazy overhaul on your social feeds, you might find ways to start updating your images or graphics to give it a fresher look and feel.

 

2. Spruce up your website

If you’re anything like me, the thought of combing through my entire website to check for errors, update old blogs, and make sure everything is up to part sounds… well, overwhelming!

Don’t worry, though: I’ll help you break down a few things you can do to open the proverbial windows on your site and make sure it’s spring-ready!

First, I like to check for broken links. You can use Google Search Console if you have it set up, but I’ve also used free tools like Screaming Frog. This will show you which links are broken, and you can fix them by redirecting to new pages, checking site errors, and so on.

I also like to scroll through my website on desktop and mobile to just browse pages. Does anything look funky? Are there any links that aren’t working? Mostly, I’m just scanning to see if anything stands out. If there is, I put it on the list to get fixed.

This is also the perfect time to update images; I get new brand images about 2 years and I like to go in and update older images on my site with the new ones. It keeps my site fresh!

 

3. Refresh your subscriptions

One thing I’ve found is that old and unused subscriptions can pile up — from those monthly app charges to the software you use to run your biz. I like to run down the list of everything I’m paying for in my business and ask myself: “Do I really use this?” If the answer is yes, I keep it! If I don’t use it, I look at cancelling my subscription (or turning off auto-renew).

 

4. Air out those old drafts and notes

Do you have a whole folder of notes, “potential blog ideas,” or half-written emails? I know I do. 

Now is the perfect time to pull those out, browse through them quickly, and organize them by: Trash, “In progress,” and “Needs work.” I like to do this so I know where I can go for an easy win: I open my “In progress” folder and add a few thoughts to a half-drafted blog or email. I also know that the “Needs work” blogs and emails can be used later when needed.

Last but not least, I go through the Notes app on my phone and desktop to make sure I have them sorted by topic. I delete anything that doesn’t make sense anymore (we all have those notes!).

 

5. Dust off those opt-ins and onboarding emails

One of the great things about opt-ins and onboarding sequences, if you have them, is that they are sort of “set it and forget it.” You can create them, set them up to go out on their own, and you don’t have to do a ton of work. But that doesn’t mean they never need some housekeeping!

I like to check on my opt-ins every now and then to make sure everything works properly: the email request form works, a confirmation email is sent, and the sequence of emails that follow it are working well. I also make sure that they’re on-brand, with fresh colors and pictures if I have any.

You may find that your old emails don’t share that new service you offer, or that your voice has changed a bit since you last set it up. Don’t be afraid to breathe new life into these emails, resources, or freebies; they’re often your clients’ first touchpoint with your brand!

 

6. Put some SUN in your calendar!

Do you find it hard to focus on work during the first signs of spring? I’m just so tempted to go sit on the porch, go for a walk… anything to soak up that sun! I know it's hard right now, with everything going on in the world, but you can still schedule in time to get outside (and look ahead to better days).

Here’s a little trick I want to share with you: schedule sun and fun into your calendar! This lets me focus on work because I know I have built in time to enjoy the lovely spring weather.

I also use this as a time to look at the coming months and update my calendar. Are there big travel dates? Do I want to attend a conference or go visit a friend? Do I have my kids’ school breaks on my calendar? 

All of this can help you really feel like you’ve swept away the cobwebs of your calendar, making it so much easier to plan and move forward!

 

7. Freshen up those files

Whether you’re a diligent file organizer or a chronic file misplacer, our digital desktops could all use some love. I like to go through my Downloads folder, Trash, and any folders I use for organization on my computer’s hard drive to make sure everything is where it should be. 

I also go through my cloud desktop, like Dropbox and Google Drive. While this can be incredibly overwhelming if you dig all the way in, you can just start by making sure files aren’t “loose” (every file has a folder to call home). Then, I make sure all my files are backed up and properly syncing across devices.

From there, I drop into a few folders to browse. If anything pops out at me, I reorganize. If not, I move to the next! Don’t make this a huge time suck — and if you have a VA, this could be a great way to get them to use a few hours! 

Note for all you old-school file-keepers out there: this is also a good time to go through your physical filing cabinet, too! Same principles apply.

 

8. Spring clean your space

Now, for the moment we’ve all been waiting for: sprucing up our physical space. For me, this is often the first thing I feel called to do at the start of spring. I clean off my desk, my shelves, my closets, you name it. 

This helps me feel in control of my space, which of course controls my thoughts, which of course controls how I run my business! So definitely don’t underestimate the value of having your space spring-fresh! 

I like to pull everything off the visible surfaces, dump out drawers, go through binders and notebooks — the whole shebang. If you’re not up for that, just start with what you can see. Clean off your desktop so it’s as empty as possible. Donate things you no longer use (like that old printer or the 84 binders you’ve been saving!). Recycle unneeded paper. Throw dead highlighters in the trash.

You don’t have to go Marie Kondo on your whole office, but definitely spend a few hours really digging into your space if you can.

Also, get some fresh flowers!

 

Are you feeling those spring-fresh vibes yet?

Whoo! I know we covered a lot here, but I also know that you’re reading this because you’re feeling that post-winter craving to breathe new life into your space and your work. It’s amazing how much our external environments (digital and physical!) affect us — and I say “Lean into it!” 

There is nothing wrong with spending a day or even a few hours spring-cleaning your business. Hopefully, this comprehensive spring cleaning checklist helps you stay on track so you can get back to work with a fresh new perspective.

And if you are feeling refreshed, ready to dive into some marketing strategies, and grow your business to whole new levels in this new season, joining me in the Blooming Business Inner Circle.

This all-inclusive business mastermind experience that helps you create a business and marketing strategy that works for YOU... ​and offers access to a group of women business owners who are feeling just as excited for a spring-fresh start as you!

 

Join the Blooming Business Inner Circle!